Karl-Heinz Rosch (3 October 1926 6 October 1944) was a German soldier during World War II who died saving lives of two Dutch children.

Background and Rescue

Rosch was an eighteen-year-old German soldier and along with his platoon, was stationed in a farm in

Goirle Goirle () is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Part of the suburban area of the city of Tilburg, it shares with it its phone area code and public transport system. The municipality also includes ...

when Allied forces opened fire on them. Rosch noticed that the two children of the farmer who owned the land seemed oblivious of the danger around them and continued to play in the courtyard. He ran to them, took each in his arms and brought them into the safety of the basement. He again ran outside to position himself on the other side of the courtyard when a grenade hit him right at the spot where the children were earlier. Rosch was killed instantly.

Aftermath

Because Rosch was a German soldier, and the enemy, his story was kept private after the war. His story was not made public until 2008. Public funding for a statue was rejected, however funds were raised to create a statue as a memorial. On November 4, 2008 a bronze statue was erected on a private property in Goirle in memory of Karl-Heinz Rosch. The statue is considered to be the only monument in the world to a German World War II soldier who was part of an occupying force. Monument voor Karl-Rosh in Riel 03

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosch, Karl-Heinz 1926 births 1944 deaths German Army personnel killed in World War II German Army soldiers of World War II Deaths by hand grenade People from Meissen Military personnel from Saxony

Background and Rescue

Aftermath

See also

References